1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for disinfecting, sterilizing and/or conditioning medical, in particular dental, instruments.
2. Related Technology
German Patent Specification DE 40 24 171 C2 describes a method and a maintenance station for disinfecting and conditioning medical, in particular dental, instruments. Here, the instruments are attached to holders provided for that purpose in a rinsing chamber. At the start of the disinfecting and conditioning operations, the instruments are initially subjected to internal and external cleaning by blowing them out in a water bath. After that, the rinsing chamber is filled afresh with water—but this time hot water—the water being heated up still further in the rinsing chamber. As a result, the instruments are boiled in the water bath. In the next step, the instruments are then subjected to internal drying and conditioning, for which purpose they are blown out with hot air, oil being blown into the instruments by means of the hot air. In order then to remove surplus oil, on the one hand, hot air is blown into the interior of the instruments at elevated pressure and, on the other hand, hot water with a surfactant additive is poured in and then pumped out again after a sufficient period of time. In German Patent DE 40 24 171 C2, external drying takes place as a result of the instruments' own heat. Cold air is then additionally blown into the rinsing chamber for cooling purposes.
European Patent Specification EP 0 638 297 B1 indicates a method which is similar to that in German Patent DE 40 24 171 C2 but which, in addition to the cold cleaning, hot cleaning and maintenance of the instruments with oil, also carries out sterilization of the instruments afterwards from the inside and also from the outside. For this purpose, use is made of saturated water vapor at, preferably, 134° C. and a pressure of 2 to 2.5 bar. Here too, the drying and cooling of the instruments again takes place by blowing in cold air.
In the known methods and devices which have been described above, the amount of time consumed for drying and cooling the instruments is not inconsiderable. This comes about, among other things, through the fact that the instruments on the one hand have a high degree of moisture after disinfection or sterilization and, on the other hand, are intensively heated in the course of disinfection or sterilization. Thus an intensive [and] drying and cooling phase is needed after the disinfection/sterilization.